Nonsaponifiable lipid components of the pollen of elder (Sambucus nigra L.)

Pollen of the elder (Sambucus nigra L.) was extracted with chloroform–methanol. The extract was separated by column chromatography into the following groups of compounds: hydrocarbons (8.7%), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (0.2%), complex esters (5.2%), triglycerides (18.7%), hydroxy esters (27.9%), free fatty acids and alcohols (16.8%), free sterols (6.8%), and triterpenic alcohols (4.0%). The nonsaponifiable components (hydrocarbons, fatty acids, alcohols, and sterols) were examined in detail using spectroscopic and chromatographic methods (IR spectroscopy, GC, and GC–MS). The identified compounds were characterized by their mass spectra and Kováts retention indices. The double bond positions and their configurations in unsaturated compounds are also reported.